WILLIAM BEAUMONT and HIS BOOK ELISHA NORTH and HIS COPY of BEAUMONT’S BOOK* by WILLIAM SNOW MILLER, M.D., SC.D

WILLIAM BEAUMONT AND HIS BOOK ELISHA NORTH AND HIS COPY OF BEAUMONT’S BOOK* By WILLIAM SNOW MILLER, M.D., SC.D. MADISON, WISCONSIN N 1833, Dr. William Beaumont duced me to his patients, told them that published at Plattsburgh, New it was his last visit and that he was York, a book bearing the title turning over to me all of his patients. “Experiments and Observations Some days after this he called me Ion the Gastric Juice, and the Physiolinto- his office and ottered to give me ogy of Digestion.” This was not a his library. Alas! I did not at that “pot boiler” as are many of the time possess any knowledge of medical modern books. It was a scientific history nor did I recognize the value treatise, based on observations which of his books. The old Doctor took no other person had recorded. It is down several volumes and insisted one of the outstanding contributions that 1 take them, “for,” he said, made by The United States of “they are unusual books;” one of America to scientific medicine.1 these was the volume under consideration. Histor y of AIy Copy of Beaum ont In 1886, unable to endure the The history of my copy of Beau- strenuousness of a country practice, mont is interesting. It belonged and recognizing an increasing diffi- originally to Elisha North, a dis- culty in hearing, I gave up the prac- tinguished physician, who spent the tice of medicine and resolved to devote greater part of his professional life at my time to research. After wandering New London, Connecticut. He paid from one institution to another in S2.00 for it, as he recorded on the this country and spending some time inside of the front cover.2 in Germany, I settled at the Uni- Shortly after graduating from the versity of Wisconsin. Medical Department of Yale in 1879, Eventually I became interested in I began the practice of medicine in the history of medicine and I wrote to South Britain, Connecticut, a well- the widow of the old Doctor and asked to-do farming community. The only her what information she could give physician in the place, Dr. Nathan C. me in regard to Elisha North, and Baldwin, was retiring from practice how her husband happened to have on account of age and ill-health. He so many books which formerly belonged to that class of physicians, belonged to him? From her reply I now practically extinct, known as the abstract the following: “old family physician.” He was I have delayed replying to your letter unusually well informed and had an hoping to be able to gather some facts extensive library. Very generously he relating to Dr. Elisha North. Unfortu- took me with him on his rounds the nately I have not been successful. I never day after I reached the place, intro- met him, nor have I heard much about *Read before the Medical History Seminar, University of Wisconsin, 1926; also by invitation before a conjoint meeting of the Institute of Medicine and the Society of Medical History of Chicago, Jan. 25, 1929. him. My husband’s first wife was a The Book distant relative and the families While the work of Beaumont was exchanged frequent visits. the first exhaustive treatise on the physiology of digestion, there had appeared earlier in the century three notable theses on the subject from the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania. The first of these by Dr. John R. Young, was published in 1803 and bore the title “An Experimental Inquiry into the Principles of Nutrition and the Diges- My husband, Dr. Baldwin, was born in tive Process.” The second was by Dr. New York City, February 16, 1814. His Oliver H. Spencer, with the title childhood was spent there, excepting “Experiments and Observations on occasional visits in the summer to his Digestion;” also published in 1803. Grandfather in Woodbridge, Connecticut. His parents died when he was fourteen or The third was by Dr. Thomas Ewell fifteen years old. He prepared for college whose thesis, written in 1804, was at a school in Derby, Connecticut; quite published in 1805, with the title a noted school at that time. He did not “Notes on the Stomach and Secre- immediately enter the Yale Medical tion.” The first of these theses has School, but took a position for a while as been described in detail by Dr. book keeper in the Chemical factory in Howard A. Kelly, and I have called New York, formerly owned, and also attention to the work of Ewell.4 established by his father, Hezekiah Har- In his introductory chapter, Beau- vey Baldwin.3 mont describes the accident to Alexis While there he had a very severe St. Martin which, after his recovery, illness from which he was not expected to left him with a gastric fistula. Myer,5 recover. His physicians said in case he survived his nerves would be ruined for in his “Life and Letters of Dr. William life; this proved to be a sad fact. After Beaumont,” collected a number of regaining some measure of health he cases which had been described entered the Yale Medical School. On previous to the time of Beaumont; graduating from it (1837) he opened an but Beaumont was the first to take office on Chapel St., New Haven, where advantage of the opportunity, thus he remained till he was invited to remove presented, to learn more about the pro- to South Britain in the summer of 1840, cess of digestion. He describes his obse r- and where he practiced medicine till your vations under the following heads: arrival in 1881. He passed away Decem- ber 24, 1885. 1. Of Aliment. Such is the history of the book up to 2. Of Hunger and Thirst. 3. Of Satisfaction and Satiety. the time it came into my possession. 4. Of Mastication, Insalivation and I have seen six copies of the first Deglutition. edition of Beaumont, and all of them 5. Of Digestion by the Gastric Juice. have belonged to Connecticut country 6. Of the Appearance of the Villous physicians. This speaks well for the Coat, and of the Motions of the Stomach. interest the “old family physician” 7. Of Chylification, and Uses of the Bile took in Beaumont and his work. and Pancreatic Juice. If we recall that Prout6 had observation that digestion was not announced, in 1824, that the acidity merely “division and depuration” as of the gastric juice was due to the often taught, since blood underwent presence of hydrochloric acid, and the same digestive process as any not to phosphoric acid or lactic acid other substance. It was not until the as many thought; that Hoppc-Seyler,7 time of Emil Fischer10 and his analysis who introduced the word “proteid” of proteins into their amino acids, into physiology was a boy only that the views of Beaumont received eight years old, and that the word their demonstration. “enzyme”8 had not been coined, it Beaumont presented extensive is of interest to see what Beaumont tables giving the length of time vari- had to say on these various topics. ous foods required to become digested For the following resume of Beau- in the stomach. These data still mont’s work I must acknowledge my remain valuable and a great contribu- indebtedness to Prof. W. J. Meek, of tion to practical dietetics. the Department of Physiology at the Beaumont noted that oily sub- University of Wisconsin. He has, very stances are digested with great diffi- generously, permitted me to make use culty and that they delayed the of the notes he presented on the work passage of venison and steak (pro- of Beaumont at the time I read this teins) for some time. “Crude vege- paper, and has been of material tables, by some law of the animal assistance in calling my attention to economy, not well understood, are the work of more recent physiologists allowed, even when the stomach is which has confirmed the earlier obser- in a healthy state, sometimes to pass vations of Beaumont. the pyloric orifice, while other food 1. Of Alime nt . Minuteness of is retained there to receive the solvent division and tenderness of fiber are action of the gastric juice.” the two grand essentials for speedy Condiments, particularly those of and easy digestion. a spicy kind, alcohol and other stimu- “The digestion of animal and vege- lants such as tea and coffee were all table diet requires the same process. condemned as producing an indirect Generally speaking, vegetable aliment debility of the stomach. requires more time and probably 2. Of Hung er and Thirst . Beau- greater powers of the gastric organs, mont recognized the true hunger pain. than animal.” Pawlow9 in his Phy- It is surprising that he missed the siology of Digestion amply substan- contractions associated with it. He tiated these statements. More of the rejects the idea that hunger is due 'ferment pepsin was shown to be put to the rubbing together of the walls out for bread than for meat. of the empty stomach, else we would “The ultimate principles of nutri- feel hungry immediately after vomit- ment are probably always the same ing or in fevers. He does not believe whether obtained from animal or it is the presence of a quantity of vegetable diet.” Beaumont’s argu- gastric juice in the otherwise empty ment here was based not only on the organ, for if there were juice there similar appearance of chyme when which he unfortunately doubted, it subjected either to gastric, hepatic, or is non-irritant to the stomach.

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